


Round Trip

by chillestavenger



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: M/M, lots of pining and fluff, some angst b/c how can you not have angst in Bruce's POV, some vague references to Bruce's fucked up childhood but nothing explicit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-10-03
Packaged: 2019-07-24 12:24:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16175030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chillestavenger/pseuds/chillestavenger
Summary: Begins at the end of Thor Ragnarok, no Thanos post credit scene or any events of Infinity War because these guys deserve nice things."It figured, Bruce thought, that his brain would pick this particular point in his life, when he was marooned on a spaceship with an entire civilization of modelesque refugee aliens, to remember how to develop a crush."





	Round Trip

It figured, Bruce thought, that his brain would pick this particular point in his life, when he was marooned on a spaceship with an entire civilization of modelesque refugee aliens, to remember how to develop a crush. It was almost funny that his team, if they were still that, had all assumed it was Natasha who had returned Bruce to some romantic understanding of himself. Funny that anyone thought the two shared much besides an intuitive understanding of other people’s pain. Bruce was grateful that in his case Natasha had used this knowledge to ease his pain where she could rather than increase it, and he was also grateful that she hadn’t tried to pick at any other layers of his psyche. He had extended her the same professional courtesy.  
This thing with Thor, this unwanted, in years unprecedented, rush of feelings towards a literal god, was different. It was unplanned for, and completely out of Bruce’s control. It had started innocently enough. Bruce was, as usual, lost, trying to find his way back to his room through the labyrinthine halls of the spaceship. He stumbled into Thor’s instead, finding him sitting on the end of his bed staring a hole through the wall with his one good eye. “Oh, sorry,” Bruce said, immediately backing out of the room. “Wrong door.”  
Thor turned to look at Bruce, but it seemed to take him a moment to really see him. But then Thor did focus on Bruce’s face, his expression clearing as he said “No matter. You did not interrupt anything important, as I’m sure you can see.” The smile Thor offered didn’t reach the rest of his face, and Bruce felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of leaving him that way. He stepped back into Thor’s room hesitantly, and said,  
“Hey, maybe this is none of my business, but are you doing allright?” It was a stupid question, Bruce knew. The man had just lost his father and his planet, not to mention a hammer and an eye. But the truth was Bruce didn’t know Thor very well, and he wasn’t sure how such a strong and physical man would feel about having vulnerabilities or perceived weaknesses directly pointed out to him.  
“Ah,” Thor’s smile turned sad. “You are perceptive as usual, doctor. Truth be told, during times such as these, when I find myself a bit lost, I am accustomed to seeking advice from my father. It is… strange to remember that I no longer can. Stranger still to wonder if I ever really knew the man at all.”  
“How do you mean?” Bruce asked, taking a tentative seat on the bed next to Thor, hoping he wasn’t being too presumptuous.  
Thor waved a hand, “Surely you have been dragged into enough of my family disputes for one lifetime. I do not need to bore you with those of the past.”  
“You’re not dragging me into anything,” Bruce said. “I wouldn’t even be here, speaking in full sentences, if it wasn’t for you. I don’t wanna make you talk about anything, but I’m happy to listen.”  
Thor sighed. “It’s just – I never had much interest in being a ruler. I never thought I’d be especially good at it. I figured the people were happy under my father, when my time came I’d just not change too much, and Asgard would be well. But now everything has changed. And now after Hela, after seeing how my father got his power, behind all the lies he told, I don’t know that I would have followed in his footsteps even if I could. But we are headed towards your planet with no plan of action, and I don’t know what will become of my people when we get there.”  
“Well I don’t know much about being a king, or integrating an alien race into a new planet. But I think if there’s anyone who’s right for the job it’s you.”  
Thor raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical, and said “That is kind of you to say, Bruce.”  
“No I’m serious,” Bruce pushed. “Just in the past week, everything I’ve seen you do? Beating insane odds, risking everything, your own life, for the good of your people? I’ve gotta believe that’s what counts most, when it comes to being in charge.”  
Bruce got a glimpse of Thor’s face, brimming with emotion, before the muscular man was grabbing him in a hug. “Thank you,” he said, his breath warm on the back of Bruce’s neck. It was the first time Bruce had been held close in who knew how long, and he stiffened at first before melting into the embrace. Thor felt so solid and safe and good, and Bruce felt his face heating up by the time Thor pulled back. What was wrong with him? Bruce wondered. Thor was, in some supremely weird sense of the word, a colleague. A royal, alien colleague with lightning powers and impossible good looks. In short, Bruce had no business getting all blushy and flustered over a friendly gesture from someone like that. “You have it backwards, you know,” Thor said, bringing Bruce back to himself. “It’s me that owes you a huge debt of gratitude. If it wasn’t for your bravery in battle on behalf of a people that are not your own, none of us would be alive today.”  
Horrifyingly, Bruce felt himself blushing in earnest, and had to fight against saying something pathetic like I did it for you. In truth he wasn’t sure why he’d agreed to fight with Thor. Maybe there just hadn’t been anything better to do. Bruce finally mumbled, “It’s the least I could do. Team revengers, right?”  
Thor smiled, for real this time, and it was beautiful, the way his face still lit up around an eyepatch with the edges of a raw wound peeking out from behind it. “Indeed,” he said, clapping Bruce on the shoulder. Bruce could only offer a dopey smile in response.  
~~~  
From that day on, Bruce knew he was well and truly fucked. He started noticing Thor in a thousand infuriating ways. The ridges on the back of his head where his hair had been cut unevenly on his way into the fighting pits on Sakaar. The way he smelled whenever he leaned in for one of the jovial gestures of physical affection he offered so freely, some spice Bruce couldn’t name, probably native to Asgard. The way his laugh came out a little too loud, still, after everything, warm and spontaneous like the rest of him. It didn’t help that Thor seemed hell bent on including Bruce in the daily life of the ship. Maybe Thor worried Bruce was lonely, but he was constantly inviting him to share meals or join him for walks around the huge ship’s perimeter. Thor even invited Bruce to spar with him “only as friendly exercise, of course. I am not certain I would survive another match such as the one we shared on Sakaar.” Thor elbowed him in the ribs at that, as though they were sharing an old joke rather than talking about the time the monstrosity inside Bruce had almost killed Thor, an incident Bruce didn’t even remember but still shuddered to think of.  
“That’s probably not a great idea,” Bruce managed weakly. “Neither of us want the other guy to come out, and if it’s you versus me like this” Bruce gestured at his torso, then immediately wished he hadn’t, “well, that would just be embarrassing.”  
“How so?” Thor asked, walking in the direction of the ship’s makeshift gym nonetheless. Bruce, lovesick puppy that he was, had no choice but to follow along.  
“I mean you’re” Bruce gestured at Thor, then immediately felt himself redden. “And I’m- without the other guy, I mean, I don’t really have any physical skills.” Bruce’s brain immediately took off down a rabbit hole of other possible meanings for what he’d just said, and he wanted to die on the spot.  
“Nonsense,” Thor said easily, smiling down at Bruce. “I have seen you display much dexterity and precision while you are at your work. Such skills can serve you well in battle should you desire, but I told you I’m only looking for a partner in exercise. I can’t allow myself to grow fat and weak while I’m trapped on board this ship.”  
“Yeah you’ve really let yourself go” Bruce snorted, eyeing one of Thor’s massive sculpted biceps. “Seriously though, why not spar with someone who’s more of a match for you, like Brunhilde?”  
Thor’s smile dimmed. “I’m unsure how my eye will affect my range of motion.” He rubbed the back of his head. “I can only imagine Brunhilde’s laughter, should I find myself diminished, and in any case I wouldn’t want any of my people to worry.”  
“Well I promise not to laugh” Bruce said. It made sense now, why Thor was so set on sparring with him. Bruce’s opinion didn’t matter, certainly not as much as that of the strong and beautiful woman Thor actually wanted. Thor had never said anything to Bruce, of course, about his intentions with Brunhilde, but the two seemed like a natural fit for each other. Maybe they were already sleeping together. The thought made Bruce’s insides go cold.  
Meanwhile, Thor just nodded. “One can always trust you to be kind, Bruce.”  
Of course Thor’s fighting abilities weren’t diminished in any way Bruce could see. Thor whirled around Bruce, landing blows that were really just gentle taps on various strike points on Bruce’s body. Not even a little winded, Thor kept up a stream of advice and encouragement the whole time they played at sparring. “Raise your left arm at the last moment to block a blow such as this. Yes, good you’re getting faster. You’ll earn a PhD in fighting next, doctor.” Bruce bit his lip, liking the compliment too much to explain that there was no such thing as a PhD in fighting. By the time they were done Bruce felt half dead with exhaustion even though he’d mostly been standing there while Thor did all the hard work. Meanwhile, Thor had nothing to show for his exertion besides a slight sheen of sweat standing out on his exposed arms and in the hollow of his neck. “Thank you for training with me” Thor said, the barest hint of blue sparks dancing around his head for a moment as he stretched out his limbs. “Would you like to make a habit of it?”  
“Yeah, for sure.” Bruce hoped he didn’t sound too eager, but this time secluded with Thor had him feeling all tingly, almost like he was covered in sparks too.  
~~~  
And so it was that most days Thor would meet Bruce outside of his room so that they could walk down to the gym together. Those walks were probably Bruce’s favorite part of the routine because it meant he got to talk to Thor without the distraction of trying to keep up with exercise routines. They talked about everything and nothing, planets Thor had been to, topics Bruce had studied, things they both missed about Earth (food was surprisingly high on both of their lists). Bruce tried to be brief and circumspect, when the conversation bent towards Bruce’s pre avengers life. Thor would ask questions and Bruce would dance around them, and Thor would fix him with a long, troubled look before letting the topic drop. Once, out of the blue, Thor said “you’ve not mentioned Natasha, when we speak of returning to Midgard. Surely you must be excited to see her?”  
“Oh,” Bruce said, surprised, his steps faltering for a moment. “I mean sure, it’ll be good to see everyone from the old team. Make sure they’re all doing ok.”  
“But you must think of your reunion with your lady with a special fondness.”  
“Nat’s not my lady.” Bruce said quickly. “She never was. She had a knack for getting me out of the other guy, but there was never anything, ah, romantic between us.”  
“Ah, my apologies. I – well, the whole team assumed there was something between you two.”  
“No worries.” Bruce shrugged. “She’s been a good friend to me, but it wasn’t like that.” A long silence stretched between them, and Bruce was beginning to wonder if he had said something wrong when Thor blurted  
“Jane dumped me.”  
Bruce blinked. That was the last thing he’d expected to hear. “Aw, man, I’m sorry to hear that.” Who in their right mind would ever dump Thor?  
“It’s allright. It was for the best, I think.”  
“Because you’re with Brunhilde now?” Bruce guessed, trying to keep his voice neutral. Thor threw back his head and laughed, deep and loud.  
“Certainly not,” he said, “And I think she would punch anyone who made such an insinuation to her face.”  
“Oh, sorry.” Bruce was confused. “I just thought-“  
Thor threw an arm around Bruce’s shoulders, and whatever Bruce was about to say died on his lips. “Brunhilde and I are friends, Bruce,” Thor said warmly. “Like you and Natasha. Nothing more.” It didn’t matter, Bruce told himself. Thor being single didn’t make him remotely more likely to be interested in Bruce. But still, there was an extra bounce in Bruce’s step during sparring that day.  
~~~  
Now that Bruce could look at Brunhilde without his stomach boiling with jealousy, he realized he’d been avoiding her. She and the Other Guy had shared something, whether or not Bruce remembered it, and she still had a friendly smile and a playful punch on the arm for Bruce when they ran into each other. She was always challenging him to play something called “blood and guts,” and one day he finally relented. It turned out to resemble a first person shooter from earth, played in a room of the ship that had video screens instead of walls that Bruce had never seen before. “You hang out in here a lot?” Bruce asked, noting a collection of oddly shaped cushions on the floor, and half empty bottles of alien booze that lined the walls. It reminded him forcefully of a college dorm room.  
Brunhilde shrugged. “I guess. It’s a good place to chill. No one bothers me here. Now come on, you wear these to control the player.” She handed Bruce black gloves covered in some kind of sensor or tiny camera. “Do you want to play with the tentacle canon or the tri-barrel shocker?”  
“Tentacle canon for sure,” Bruce grinned. Brunhilde started up the screens and selected a bottle for herself.  
“You want one?” she asked. “Don’t know what’s in half of these but the green shit’s pretty good.”  
“No thanks,” Bruce said. “Not a great idea for me. Too green already, you know?”  
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” she said. “I’d kill to get that big.”  
Bruce grimaced. “If I could trade you, trust me, I would.”  
Brunhilde seemed to see she was touching a nerve, and directed their attention to the game instead. Bruce turned out to be great at blood and guts, a fact that quickly had Brunhilde laughingly furious with him. Of course, it was as Bruce executed a beautiful long rage shot and was whooping with victory that Thor entered the room.  
“What have we here?” Thor asked, stifling laughter.  
“Your buddy’s kicking my ass, sparkles,” Brunhilde said. “I see why you’ve been hiding him away in your sparring room. He probably kicks your ass too.”  
“He holds his own,” Thor said, shooting Bruce a wink that made something warm happen in the center of his chest.  
“Well I’d ask if you wanna play but I’m not giving up my gloves,” Brunhilde said.  
“Oh you can use mine,” Bruce said, already taking one off.  
“Nonsense, we can share,” Thor said, sitting on the cushion next to Bruce, so close that his knee rested on Bruce’s thigh. “If you don’t mind?” Bruce shook his head, not trusting himself to speak. Thor put on the right glove while Bruce kept the left, so that they each controlled half of the player’s motions as long as they stayed close together. They resumed the game, Bruce and Thor chasing Brunhilde’s character across the terrain of a strange planet. Bruce tried to lean the same direction as Thor did, only to make their character’s movements smoother, of course.  
“It would work better if we held on to each other,” was a thought that Bruce swore he had silently until it was coming out of his traitorous mouth. Before he could take it back, Thor had silently looped his arm around Bruce’s waist, bringing the sides of their bodies flush together. Bruce jumped at the wonderful, surprising contact, and their character immediately tripped and fell. Thor turned to look at Bruce, his perfect face so close.  
“Is this allright?” Thor asked in a low voice. Bruce could only nod, placing a tentative hand on Thor’s knee.  
“Yeah let’s give it another try,” Bruce said breathlessly. He thought he could hear Brunhilde sniggering in the background, but he honestly couldn’t care less. It was heaven, resting in the circle of Thor’s arm, feeling every twitch and pull of his powerful muscles. They played the next two levels like that, and Bruce would have tried to find an excuse to stay there forever if Loki hadn’t eventually come in to interrupt them. The warm atmosphere immediately cooled at Loki’s entrance.  
“Brother, I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” he said, completely ignoring Bruce and Brunhilde’s presence. “I wasn’t sure what kingly duties had you so occupied.” He took in the video game and bottles of alcohol with a raised eyebrow.  
“What do you want, Loki?” Thor asked, pausing the game.  
Loki shrugged, leaning in the doorway. “The Yule is almost upon us. I wondered if you were making any preparations.”  
Thor frowned. “Now hardly seems like an appropriate time for celebration.” He seemed to realize in that moment that he had a bottle of liquor in one hand and his other was still on Bruce’s waist. He quickly removed both.  
Loki rolled his eyes. “There’s a reason our dear father kept so strictly to the calendar celebrations. It’s about appeasement. Distraction.”  
Thor furrowed his brow, looking unsure.  
“Everyone’s had a rough go of it, what with our planet being destroyed and all,” Brunhilde pointed out. “We could use a reason to celebrate.”  
“I suppose,” Thor said. “What do you think Bruce?”  
Bruce wasn’t sure why his non-asgardian opinion mattered, especially sine he didn’t know what Yule entailed, but he said, “Any sense of normalcy you can give them is probably good, at a time like this.”  
Thor nodded and stood. “Then it seems we have a feast to prepare for.” He left with Loki in tow.  
Brunhilde whistled. “Damn you’re far gone.”  
“What?”  
“Sparkles. You look at him like you wanna lick his entire body.”  
“What?” Bruce yelped. “That’s not – I mean –“ Brunhilde was still smirking at him and Bruce deflated. “Am I that obvious?”  
Brunhilde shrugged. “To me, yeah, but Thor’s not exactly the observant type.” Bruce sighed. “So what are you gonna do about it?” Brunhilde pressed.  
“I’m not gonna do anything,” Bruce said.  
“Why not?”  
“What’s the point of embarrassing myself? Making everything weird between us? We’re friends now. That’s more than I – that’s enough. That’s better than nothing.” Bruce had never admitted his feelings for Thor out loud before, and doing it now made the whole thing seem more pathetic.  
Brunhilde rolled her eyes. “What if you stopped feeling sorry for yourself long enough to find out if he wants you back?”  
“He never would,” Bruce huffed. “So it doesn’t matter.”  
“Bruce, take it from someone older, wiser, and drunker than you.” Brunhilde smirked, but it looked sad. “Nothing lasts as long as you think. Things, feelings, people. It all gets fucked up eventually. Don’t be an idiot and waste your chance.”  
Bruce felt his shoulders curl inward, the defensive posture almost reflexive. “What if I’m not the kind of person who deserves to take a chance like that?”  
Brunhilde snorted. “You think I deserve all the chances Thor’s given me? You think his murderous shitstain of a brother does? That’s the great and stupid thing about our fearless leader. His heart’s too big for his own good. It can fit one more lost cause.” Brunhilde tapped Bruce’s forehead with the bottom of her bottle, very gently. There was a hint of a slur behind her words. “But listen to me. I hate a mushy drunk. I’m gonna go pass out while you reflect on my sage wisdom.” She made it to her feet with only a slight wobble and left the room, leaving Bruce alone, and very thoughtful.  
~~~  
Bruce was passing in and out of sleep the next morning when there was a knock on his door, a little too loud, that could only belong to one person. He jumped out of bed and almost reached the door wearing only his boxers (well, technically Tony’s boxers salvaged from storage on the quinjet, but Bruce really didn’t want to think about that now.) Mercifully, he woke up enough to turn back and throw on the closest thing an alien spaceship had to sweats and a t-shirt. Bruce finally opened the door to find Thor resplendent as usual. His hair was starting to grow out, a little too shaggy to be short, but not long enough for any styling to be effective. It was unbearably cute.  
“Morning,” Bruce said around a yawn, not even wanting to think about what he looked like right now.  
“Good morning.” Thor smiled, and god it was like Bruce was finally exhaling after holding his breath, having that smile directed at him, only feet away from the rumpled sheets of Bruce’s bed. “I hope I did not wake you.”  
“Well, only kinda.” Bruce rubbed the back of his neck. “But I’m glad you did. What’s up?”  
Thor took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, and Bruce tried to prepare himself for something disastrous or important or both, but all Thor said was “I was wondering if you would like to join my table at the Yule feast tomorrow night.”  
“Yeah, definitely,” Bruce answered immediately. Any time spent with Thor sounded good to him.  
Thor’s broad shoulders relaxed at that, and the smile came back. “Wonderful. It will be an honor, to have you by my side.”  
Bruce couldn’t help feeling that he was missing something significant. Why was Thor being so formal about making sure Bruce felt included at his party? “I don’t know anything about how you guys do Yule,” Bruce reminded him. “Do I need to, I don’t know, wear anything special or whatever?”  
“There is no specific dress required, but people often try to look their best.” Thor tilted his head and looked at Bruce a beat. “For you, that means any clothes will do.”  
Bruce wasn’t quite sure how to take that, but his face felt warm. “Ok, great then. Just tell me if there’s anything else I need to know to not look stupid.”  
“I wouldn’t think a man with seven PhDs would need to worry about that,” Thor said solemnly, and it took Bruce a moment to realize he was being teased.  
Bruce laughed. “Yeah well, ever since Sakaar I’ve spent most of my time not knowing what the hell is going on.” It had been longer than that, really, ever since Nat had dragged him out of hiding and into a world of robots and aliens and whatever Vision and Wanda were calling themselves lately. But all those people, all that violence and pain, didn’t belong here between the two of them right now.  
Thor just shook his head and said “Yule isn’t complicated. Most of our celebrations are mostly excuses to feast and dance. All you need to bring is your appetite.”  
Bruce knew, he knew there was no chance Thor had meant for that to sound so sexual, but Bruce’s mouth went dry regardless, and all he managed to say was “cool” at which point he immediately wanted to die on the spot because Jesus, was he still a skinny 15 year old with acne?  
Thor must have had the patience of a saint, because he was still all smiles as he said, “I’ll see you tomorrow night, then.”  
Of course, Bruce managed to spend the next day and a half being nervous and obsessing about what to wear. Which was stupid, because this was definitely not a date. This was, as usual, Thor being kind and generous and enthusiastic about everything and Bruce was just lucky to be swept up in that tide. But still, there were a lot of crates of abandoned shit on this spaceship and Bruce managed to dig up a weird sparkly shirt with buttons on each side rather than the front that he thought maybe made his eyes look kind of nice and he could at least make sure his hair was clean and as neat as it ever got. His search for cologne was less successful. All he managed to find were strange vials of a clear bubbling liquid that smelled like someone poured acetone on a vanilla cupcake, and he decided it was safer to just smell like soap.  
Bruce was just starting to dread awkwardly making his way to the ship’s big dining hall and either being too early or too late, when there was once again a knock on his door. It was Thor of course, who else would it be? He looked…well. Bruce had used up most of his vocabulary waxing poetic about Thor’s beauty inside his own head. But tonight Thor just looked right. He was in his full battle dress, cape and all. He had tiny braids at his temples that were just long enough to connect with golden thread behind his head, and his skin was glistening with some kind of oil that smelled amazing. Thor’s face lit up when Bruce opened the door. “You look wonderful,” Thor said, and Bruce had to stop himself from looking over his shoulder to see if there was somehow another person in his room.  
“I- really?” Thor nodded, a twinkle in his eye. “I mean, thanks. So do you. You always do, but, tonight especially.”  
Thor looked down at his feet for a moment, a broad grin on his face. “Thank you, Bruce. Shall we?” Bruce nodded.  
Neither of them talked much on the way to the dining hall. They found the hall packed with most of the people on the ship, and at Thor’s entrance all eyes were on him and Bruce. Immediately Bruce felt his pulse pound and his joints lock up. He wanted to disappear under all of the curious stares. Thor glanced down, seemed to notice Bruce’s distress, and placed a calming hand in the center of his back, urging him forward. The whole room was hung with garlands and tapestries, and full to bursting with row after row of long tables, all crowded with people. Thor led Bruce to a table at the far end of the room where Loki and Brunhilde were already seated along with an assortment of other people, most of whom Bruce didn’t know. Korg waved them over excitedly, and Bruce and Thor shared a smile at the rock man’s naked enthusiasm. Thor took the seat at the head of the table and motioned for Bruce to sit to his right. Bruce didn’t miss the sour look Loki gave him from Thor’s other side. The tables were laden with food, mostly what looked like a wide range of smoked meat, and giant pitchers of something foamy and alcoholic. No one was eating or drinking yet, but Thor poured himself a flagon and stood, raising it above his head. It took a surprisingly short amount of time for everyone in the room to fall silent and give him their attention.  
“People of Asgard. You have all been asked to withstand much, in recent days. I cannot mend that which has been broken, but if there is one thing I know about my people, it is that they are strong, they will never stop fighting, and they will persevere in the face of anything.” Thor paused, and his face softened. “If there’s another thing I know about my people, it’s that they are unparalleled in revelry, and can drink anyone in the universe under the table. As your king, I task you all with eating, drinking, and dancing far too much tonight. In Odin’s name, let the feast begin.” With that Thor put the flagon to his lips and drained the whole thing in one swig. He slammed the empty cup down on the table and was met with a roar of approval. Bruce joined the applause and watched Thor return to his seat. The room was now buzzing again, everyone passing around plates and digging in. Bruce took small samples of everything he could reach. He’d always enjoyed trying foreign foods when he traveled, so at least he had a point of reference for this particular moment of alien weirdness.  
Loki immediately dug into Thor, saying “inspiring words as always, brother. So glad I thought to suggest this political opportunity just so you could express your love of mead.”  
Thor rolled his eyes. “As if you had any plans for tonight past bedding as many people as you can.”  
Loki examined his nails. “I never have to plan for that, it just comes naturally,” he said breezily.  
“Please, I could find more eager partners than you in my sleep,” Brunhilde said, a challenge in her eyes.  
Loki answered with a sharp grin and said “I’ll put gold on those odds.”  
Brunhilde shot Bruce a conspiratorial look, and he knew he wasn’t going to like whatever she said next. “How about you Sparkles? You in on this?” Bruce glared daggers at her but she didn’t seem to notice.  
“I’ll leave it to you two,” Thor said. “You seem to have things in hand.” He glanced at Bruce for a moment before putting a truly gigantic rib on his plate.  
“That’s unlike you,” Loki said, his eyebrow raised. “Have you finally accepted that you’ll never surpass me?”  
“He must have something better to do,” Brunhilde said, nudging Bruce’s foot under the table. He responded with a foot shove that he hoped said please drop it you’re killing me.  
“Precisely,” Thor said, just as Brunhilde kicked Bruce’s shin way harder than he’d kicked her. He winced and dropped his fork. “Are you allright Bruce?”  
“Yeah I’m good,” Bruce answered.  
“You’re not drinking,” Thor said, like he’d made a terrible discovery. “Let me get you something.” He reached past three people to grab a pitcher and bring it to Bruce’s cup.  
“No, thanks but I uh, don’t drink.” Bruce moved some food around with his fork, avoiding Thor’s gaze.  
“Why not?”  
“It’s just not a good idea for me. I used to, too much, actually, but it gets my emotions out of control. Too close to” he waved his hand around stupidly, “you know.” Bruce chewed his lip, wanting to get up and leave, suddenly.  
“Of course, I should have realized.” Thor said. “Well, if you’re not drinking tonight then neither am I.” He pushed his full cup away from him and smiled at Bruce.  
“Oh, no,” Bruce said quickly. “You don’t need to do that. Really, I’m fine.”  
“There’s no point in getting drunk tonight if you can’t. I want our experiences of tonight to match.” Thor sounded completely genuine.  
“No, come on,” Bruce protested. “I don’t wanna poop your party.”  
Thor threw back his head and laughed. “I’ve not heard that expression before. That is delightful. But my mind is made up, and no one’s party will be soiled.” Thor chuckled again.  
“Thank you,” Bruce said softly. Thor treated the gesture as such a small thing, but he had given up something he liked to keep Bruce company. Bruce genuinely couldn’t remember the last time someone had done something like that for him.  
“Of course,” Thor answered, shifting his hand where it sat on the table so that his pinky linked with Bruce’s for just a second, before pulling it back.  
Bruce looked up and noticed that Brunhilde and Loki had both left the table while he’d been hanging on Thor’s every word. “You didn’t want to join them?” Bruce asked before he could stop himself. He really must be a masochist, since the thought of watching Thor seduce half of Asgard for the rest of the night sounded pretty close to torture.  
“No,” Thor tilted his head, looking confused. “I’m happy where I am.”  
“Oh, ok.” They were quiet for a moment, and Thor started in on his rib. He even managed to make that look sexy. “Is this like the Yules from your childhood?” Bruce asked, wondering how long ago that actually was.  
Thor cast his eye around the room that, while decorated, was clearly still a metal hall inside a spaceship. “My mother usually put a personal touch on the proceedings that I fear I have not quite reached. Also, Loki has yet to set my hair on fire, so a lot of time-honored traditions are missing.” Bruce laughed. “What about you? What do you miss about the holidays?”  
Bruce could feel it coming. He was going to let something equal parts depressing and disturbingly nonchalant slip about his horror show of a childhood, or he was going to clam up and say nothing at all, or do something else that would ruin Thor’s night. Instead, though, he heard himself say, “My mom was really great about holidays too. She always made them feel close and festive, no matter – no matter what. And she made the most amazing triple chocolate cookies. Definitely gave me her sweet tooth.”  
Thor smiled at him, soft and warm. “In that case you must try this,” he said, waving impatiently for a dish to be passed down the long table. “It’s a sort of, well not pudding exactly, but not quite soup either. It’s hard to describe but it is sweet and delicious.” Thor spooned some of the grey gelatinous thing onto Bruce’s plate excitedly, and it was a testament to how far gone Bruce was that he tried it immediately. It was surprisingly edible.  
The night went on like that, Loki and Brunhilde checking in occasionally to brag about their conquests, but Thor barely leaving Bruce’s side. Most of the Asgardians seemed to be getting rowdier as the pitchers of ale continued to circulate, and an impromptu band assembled in one corner and began to play. It was a little like folk or Celtic music, all strings and breathy pipes, and the Asgardians worked like a well-oiled party machine to clear tables and make a dance floor. It looked like a fairly simple partner dance, and Bruce was surprised to see a good amount of same sex couples pair off in addition to the man / woman pairs he’d been expecting. Thor stood as the first song ended, and Bruce assumed he’d make his way to the dance floor and be awash in eligible partners. It was too much to hope for, that Bruce would be able to keep Thor to himself the whole night. But instead Thor stayed where he was and held out a hand to Bruce. “Would you like to dance?”  
“You don’t have to-“ Bruce began, because really, what was more embarrassing than being danced with as an act of hospitality, when Thor interrupted and said  
“Bruce, I am not in the habit of doing anything out of obligation.” He sounded both amused and exasperated. “I would like to dance with you, if you’d like to dance with me.”  
“I don’t know how,” Bruce stalled, nervous and also unbearably excited at the prospect of dancing with Thor.  
“It’s not complicated, doctor. I’ll show you.”  
Bruce nodded and stood, taking the hand Thor offered. He felt like he was in a dream as Thor held on to his hand and led him to the dance floor.  
“So,” Thor said, turning to face Bruce. “You put your hands here,” he took both of Bruce’s hands and placed them flat against his massive chest. Bruce gulped, hoping his heartbeat wasn’t actually as loud as it sounded inside his head. “And mine go here,” Thor continued, bringing his hands to rest gently on Bruce’s hips. Thor caught Bruce’s eye, looking uncertain for a moment, and Bruce nodded. Bruce was more than ok with this position, if that’s what Thor was asking. “From here, it’s really just making a circle to the beat,” Thor said, moving Bruce in the right direction with a slight pressure on his hips. Bruce was warm all over, his skin tingling and heart jolting every time he snuck a look at Thor’s face. He didn’t think he’d ever wanted someone like this, so immediate and intense. He felt like a gangly preteen all over again, dancing with a girl for the first time at a school dance and wondering if he had the courage to get closer. He looked up at Thor again, only to find he was already looking intently at Bruce. His gaze lingered on Bruce’s eyes, and, unless Bruce was hallucinating, his lips. They stayed like that for some kind of eternity, Bruce’s head tilted up, lips parted, until, slowly, Thor leaned down to close the gap. Bruce lifted his heels, just a little, to help Thor with the last couple centimeters, and their lips met. It was a sweet, soft thing, just one short brush of lips, but it lit up Bruce’s whole body, a bright buzz from his mouth all the way down to his toes, and he knew he would never, ever forget how well his bottom lip seemed to fit between Thor’s. Even if he would never feel it again.  
“Sorry,” Bruce blurted, the second after they pulled apart.  
Thor furrowed his brow. “Why in the world are you sorry?”  
“I shouldn’t have done that.” Bruce’s hands were still on Thor’s chest but he couldn’t meet his eye. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. You’ve been such a good friend to me”  
Thor shook his head, a soft chuckle escaping him. “Bruce, I’ve been trying to court you, ever since I realized your heart was unattached. I must not have been doing it well if you didn’t even recognize my intentions.”  
Bruce’s mouth fell open, and for a moment he had a nasty suspicion that he was being pranked or something. “Why would you court me?” he asked, truly stumped.  
“Because I admire you greatly. I feel so strongly for you. I want you. I thought you knew.” Bruce shook his head dumbly. His brain felt numb. Thor’s face fell. “But I see that you did not. I am very sorry, if I’ve bestowed my affections where they weren’t wanted.”  
“No. No!” Bruce said, grasping the front of Thor’s armor when he tried to step back. “They’re very wanted. I just never thought you could feel like that about me. Thor, I – “ words failed Bruce, as they seemed to be doing a lot lately, so instead he reached up and kissed Thor again, linking his hands behind Thor’s neck. This kiss was longer, clumsy, on Bruce’s part, but in this moment he wasn’t embarrassed because he was too busy being in heaven. Bruce tried to memorize every sensation. The brush of Thor’s beard against his face, new and exciting, the way Thor’s hands tightened on Bruce’s hips before he pressed forward and wrapped Bruce in his arms. The swoop in his stomach when he felt the tip of Thor’s tongue against his lip, for just a moment. When they pulled apart this time Thor’s lips stayed slightly parted, and there was something deep and hungry in his expression.  
“Perhaps we could continue this discussion in private?” Thor suggested, his voice low.  
“Yeah,” Bruce agreed. He and Thor left in the middle of a song, and if anyone watched them go Bruce really couldn’t care less.  
Bruce barely made it through the door to Thor’s room before Thor had him pressed up against the wall. This kiss was slow but insistent, deeper than the one before, and Thor slid his hands down the sides of Bruce’s body then back up into his hair with agonizing patience. Every one of Bruce’s senses was filled with Thor and it was heady, overwhelming, more than anything Bruce had ever expected or imagined. All at once it was too much, and Bruce nudged at Thor’s shoulders. Thor immediately stepped back and looked down into Bruce’s face, concerned.  
“Are you allright?”  
Bruce nodded. “Sorry, I uh, I just need a minute.”  
“No, I’m the one who should apologize, Bruce. I was too hasty. I should not have pushed you.”  
“I just-” Bruce covered his face with his hands, mortified. “It’s been – so long since I’ve done this, and never with a man. There’s just a lot coming up, and I don’t-”  
Thor took Bruce’s hands away from his face, very gently. “I want nothing from you, besides that which you are completely ready to give.” Thor caught Bruce’s eye, made sure he understood. “What do you want, from me, tonight? The rest can wait, for an eternity, if you wish.”  
Bruce held Thor’s gaze, and found only sincerity. And if this was all some sort of weird space fantasy hallucination, as Bruce was beginning to suspect, he thought he could be selfish, for just a moment. “Could you just hold me?” he asked, and his voice only shook a little.  
The smile Thor gave him was so soft and kind Bruce thought he might cry for a second. “Of course,” Thor said. He gestured Bruce towards his bed, and unpinned his cape in one graceful motion. Bruce sat in the middle of the bed, knees drawn to his chest, feeling awkward and guilty and also undeniably excited because this was Thor’s bed and the bedding was like velvet or something similar that felt amazing. He looked up at Thor to see him unbuckling his armor, and Bruce felt his brain short circuit.  
“What are you doing?” Bruce asked, panicked slightly.  
Thor raised an eyebrow as he got to the last clasp and the armor came away from him in two plates. “I’m hardly going to be very cuddly if I have this on.” Thor’s torso was…insane. As Bruce took in every perfect aspect of shirtless Thor, he wondered how he’d ever thought he was straight. Finally Thor’s actual words made it into Bruce’s brain, and he grinned.  
“So you’re saying without the armor, you’d describe yourself as cuddly?”  
“I’ll let you be the judge of that.”  
Bruce’s mouth went dry as he watched Thor approach, equal parts jangling nerves and frustration that he had stopped that kiss in the first place. But Thor just settled on top of the covers next to Bruce. He leaned back against the headboard and stretched one arm out behind Bruce. The pose was an invitation, gentle, patient, and Bruce took it, scooting so that he was nestled in the crook of Thor’s arm with his head resting on Thor’s shoulder. Tentatively, he rested one hand in the center of Thor’s (massive, sculpted, smooth, hot) chest, and looked up at his face. Thor was looking down at him with what seemed to be a question in his gaze. Bruce had no clue what he was asking but nodded anyway, and Thor leaned in to plant a light kiss on the tip of Bruce’s nose. Bruce felt his face crack into a wide, dopey grin, and shifted a little closer to Thor’s side, getting comfortable.  
“So,” Thor said, after a stretch of almost comfortable silence, “You’ve never been with a man before?”  
“Never,” Bruce confirmed. “You’re the first guy I’ve even kissed.”  
“And how did that come to pass? Why was I lucky enough to be chosen before any other?”  
Lucky. That concept did strange things to Bruce’s insides. He’d also never expected to actually have this conversation with Thor of all people, in a million years, and now he didn’t know where to start. “Well it’s not like I’ve been with that many women either, especially after the other guy showed up, and before that, I don’t know how to explain it. Do you even have homophobia in Asgard?” Bruce shook his head. “That was a stupid question. If you don’t have it how would you know what it is?”  
“I know what it is,” Thor said, a rumble of anger in his voice. “When same sex marriage was legalized in America, I found Jane celebrating and she explained to me why it had not always been so. It took me a while to understand. On Asgard, we do not ascribe such values to what kind of lovers a person may choose to take. Our lives are so long, most Asgardians explore all of their options at some point before settling on any number of personal preferences.”  
“And what did you settle on?” Bruce asked.  
Thor chuckled. “I rather liked all of my options. I’ve never felt the need to limit myself to one gender or another.” He paused. “But it was not so with you?”  
Bruce shrugged. “I don’t know, I had a lot of internalized bullshit, like everyone in my generation I guess. I always knew I was attracted to women, and then in college I started to figure out maybe I was into men too, but then I was in a committed relationship with a woman so it didn’t seem to matter. And after that, after everything, it didn’t seem fair to get involved with anyone, so.” Bruce was suddenly fascinated with the duvet, unwilling to meet Thor’s gaze.  
“I am honored, Bruce, that you’ve allowed me this close after such a long time of denying yourself.” Thor stroked his arm, but Bruce knew he wasn’t just talking about physical proximity. “I just wish you didn’t think that you had to. You are the furthest thing from a burden.”  
Bruce did look up at Thor then. “You’ll change your mind on that one eventually, just wait.” He’d meant to say it with his usual sarcastic self-deprecation, but there was a lump in his throat and it just came out as the truth.  
“I am certain I will not,” Thor said, very seriously, and Bruce reached up to steal a quick kiss on the lips because he was afraid of what he might say otherwise. Bruce knew whatever was between them would shatter eventually, as everything he touched always did, but for tonight, he could let himself dream.  
And he did dream, deeply, comfortably, and happily, which were all pretty rare where he was concerned. Even better, when he woke up the next morning Thor was still there, pressed close, which meant last night had really happened. Thor was still asleep, still shirtless, and Bruce took a moment to take it all in. He found his gaze settling on Thor’s eyes. The long lashes on the good one cast shadows on Thor’s cheek, but the eye patch looked terribly uncomfortable to sleep in, digging into the soft skin around it. Bruce wanted to take it off and smooth out the furrows with his fingers, but worried Thor wouldn’t appreciate the invasion of privacy. He settled for brushing back some hair that had fallen in Thor’s face. Thor woke at the touch, his expression hazy for a moment before he focused on Bruce’s face and smiled.  
“Good morning,” Thor said, his voice low and raspy and intimate in a way that thrilled Bruce.  
“Morning,” Bruce answered, nervous again, always, under his gaze.  
“I seem to have taken you to bed on our first date.” Thor winked. “Where have my manners gone?”  
Bruce grinned, his face warm. “I didn’t think kings had to have manners.”  
Thor’s face was suddenly very close to Bruce, their mouths almost touching but not quite. Bruce’s lips seemed to part of their own accord. “We don’t,” Thor whispered, and now it wasn’t just Bruce’s face that was warm. His whole body was alight with desire and Thor hadn’t even touched him. Thor obviously knew what he was doing, and he flashed Bruce a shit eating grin before giving him a very chaste peck on the lips.  
“You’re a real piece of work,” Bruce grumbled as Thor sat up, stretched, and rubbed his face. Thor’s fingers lingered around the eye patch, and Bruce’s suspicions were confirmed. “That doesn’t look very comfortable,” Bruce said cautiously.  
“It isn’t,” Thor grimaced. “But neither is making everyone stare at a gaping wound while they talk to me.”  
Bruce shook his head. “Why do you wear it to sleep then?”  
“I don’t, usually.” Thor said. “But you’re here and,” he paused and shrugged, “I wouldn’t wish to do anything to put you off.”  
Bruce was dumbfounded. “Thor that’s like, insane. You have to be aware of how impossibly attractive you are, right? Like there could literally be a mushroom growing out of your head and you’d still be a 12/10 on everyone’s scale. You’d still be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Thor looked like he wanted to say something, but Bruce found that he wasn’t finished, and he was actually a little pissed. “Secondly, you’ve seen me go in and out of being a giant green incoherent monster how hypocritical would I have to be to give a shit about one little battle scar?”  
Thor was smiling and shaking his head, his hands held up in surrender. “Allright, Bruce, you’ve made your point,” he said, and removed his eye patch in one swift gesture. The injury was pretty unremarkable to Bruce. He was just glad to see it was healing well. He went up on his knees, put a hand on each side of Thor’s face and pressed a gentle kiss to the burnt out socket.  
“Trust me, blondie, I’ve seen worse.” Thor responded to that with a real kiss, slow and long, and it took Bruce a moment to remember what they were talking about when they broke apart. “Speaking of worse, you never told me, and I guess I was afraid to ask. After the battle on Asgard how did I get back from the other guy? I just woke up as me but I don’t remember anything before that.”  
“Oh it was nothing remarkable. Once there was a quiet moment I sat with Hulk and told him that he’d done a good job, that he was safe now, and that he could rest. He fell asleep, displayed some truly remarkable snores, and suddenly you were there instead.”  
Bruce blinked, dumbfounded. “How did you know that would work?”  
Thor shrugged. “I knew no such thing. I just told him what I’d want to hear after a difficult battle.”  
Bruce stared at Thor, the fiercest fighter he’d ever seen, and also a man whose first impulse when faced with a rampaging monster was affirmation and comfort. And really, the only proper response to a man like that was to climb into his lap and kiss the living daylights out of him. For once Bruce let his impulses lead the way, and he found that straddling a man in bed and kissing him deeply didn’t feel emasculating at all, as he had secretly feared. Pressed up against Thor like this, it was impossible not to know how enthused and aroused Thor was, and it was a heady, powerful feeling to know Bruce was the one who’d turned him on like that. Bruce wanted to feel all of Thor, skin against skin, and before he’d really thought it through his fingers were going to the weird buttons on the shirt he still had on from last night. Of course, Bruce couldn’t be smooth about anything, and found getting the alien shirt off while continuing to kiss Thor more challenging than he’d expected.  
Thor broke the kiss and chuckled. “Allow me,” he said, his fingers brushing Bruce’s skin as he undid the buttons on both sides of his shirt. Thor peeled the shirt up over Bruce’s head and tossed it carelessly aside. He looked down at Bruce’s (unremarkable, hairy, thin, old) body and said “beautiful” in a voice so low Bruce almost missed it. Bruce wanted to argue the point, but then Thor slid one hand from Bruce’s clavicle to his belly button in a feather light touch and coherent words were entirely out of the question. Bruce’s mouth found its way back to Thor’s lips, his chin, the place where his jaw met his neck, his throat, his chest, and then the perfect planes of his stomach. Bruce wondered how far he dared to go when he felt two fingers under his chin, and he shifted back up to meet Thor’s eye. “Is this all right Bruce?” he asked. “Don’t rush yourself on my account. I’m more than happy with whatever pleases you.”  
“This pleases me,” Bruce murmured in a bedroom voice he barely recognized. “You please me.” He took a steadying breath. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. And I want this. I want you to show me - everything.”  
A surprisingly wicked grin spread over Thor’s face. “You want me to show you everything?” He grabbed Bruce’s hips and flipped him effortlessly so that Bruce was on his back and Thor was stretched out on top of him. “How much time do you have, doctor?”  
~~~  
Afterglow with Thor, it turned out, was pretty literal. Thor’s skin tingled with a low hum of electricity, and when Bruce looked down at the arm draped protectively across his ribs, he could just make out the faintest blue glow. “Does that always happen?” Bruce asked, skating his fingers up and down Thor’s arm and hand.  
“No,” Thor said, his voice very soft. “It’s been different since that last day on Asgard. Closer to the surface. And the things you bring out of me…” He trailed off and pressed a kiss to the back of Bruce’s neck. “How are you?”  
Bruce took a moment to consider the question. He was currently being spooned by either an alien or a god, depending who you asked, and his limbs had a nice warm jelly feeling as a result of not one, but two mind blowing orgasms. “I’m fucking fantastic.” He turned to face Thor. “How about you?” Something about Bruce’s appearance sent Thor into a fit of laughter, and Bruce was immediately horrified.  
“What is it?” He asked, pulling the covers up to his chin, his face burning.  
Thor sobered immediately when he saw that he’d upset Bruce. “No dearest, it’s nothing. It’s my fault. Here.” He scrambled around in a chest next to his bed and returned with a hand mirror. Bruce took it and found that in addition to a big hickey forming in the center of his throat, his hair was standing on end, whisping away from his head in every direction. His fault, Thor had said.  
“Oh, static electricity,” Bruce said dumbly, before bursting into laughter himself. He made a vain attempt at flattening his hair and quickly gave up, twirling a finger in Thor’s hair instead. “You called me dearest,” he noted.  
Thor wrinkled his nose. “Too sappy?”  
“No, I liked it.” Bruce bit his lip. “Was I allright? In bed, I mean. I know I’m inexperienced-”  
Thor cut him off with a finger over his lips. “Bruce, stop talking nonsense. You were wonderful in every way.” He raised his eyebrows. “When we’re together, sparks fly.”  
“Shut up,” Bruce laughed, leaning in for a kiss.  
They were interrupted by a knock on the door. “Your majesty, the ship’s navigators request your presence.”  
Bruce mouthed ‘your majesty’ at Thor and Thor poked him in the ribs. “Tell them I’ll be with them later today.” Thor called back. “I’m occupied at present.”  
“It sounded pretty urgent,” the intruder said apologetically.  
Thor pressed his forehead to Bruce’s and sighed. “Very well. I’ll visit the control room momentarily.”  
“I’ll let them know, your majesty.”  
“I’m sorry,” Thor said.  
Bruce shrugged. “Hey, duty calls. It sounds important.”  
“Would you like to come with me?” Thor asked.  
“Oh that’s ok. You don’t have to bring me along everywhere.”  
Thor shook his head. “I know I don’t have to. I happen to highly value your opinion. You’re probably the smartest person on this ship, and definitely the one with the most experience on Earth.”  
“Oh.” Bruce said, surprised and flattered. “Well ok then.”  
“Excellent.” Thor sprang out of bed, completely nude and completely shameless, and began looking through his wardrobe for something to wear. Bruce hadn’t even noticed he’d been staring until Thor turned over his shoulder and said, “See something you like, doctor?”  
Bruce blushed scarlet and got out of bed too, keeping the sheets wrapped around his waist. He dug around in Thor’s bed and found that the clothes he’d had on last night were completely unwearable, to put it delicately. Thor noticed his dilemma and laughed heartily. “Would you like to borrow something?” he asked.  
“Would you mind? Do you have anything that wouldn’t look ridiculous on me?”  
Thor shook his head. “You couldn’t look ridiculous if you tried. Here.” Thor handed him a hooded cloak that fell past Bruce’s knees when he put it on. He had to roll up the sleeves and it was way too loose on his small frame, but it was comfortable as hell. Thor came to stand in front of him and smoothed Bruce’s hair down with gentle persistence until it fell relatively flat. “Ready?” Thor asked, naked affection all over his face. Bruce loved that about Thor, that he could never hide a single thing he was feeling and didn’t seem to try.  
“Yeah,” Bruce nodded. Thor grabbed Bruce’s hand as they left his room, and he didn’t drop it the whole way to the navigation room. Thor opened the door and stood aside to let Bruce enter first, and Bruce didn’t know whether to be charmed or roll his eyes. The room was filled with what passed for Thor’s advisory council in this ragtag kingdom, and Brunhilde whooped with victory at their entrance.  
“I knew Thor was late because he was still rolling around with the Midgardian. Pay up Loki.” Bruce tried to sputter out some kind of protest, blushing scarlet. “Oh come off it,” Brunhilde said cheerfully. “You’re wearing his clothes and you’ve a hickey the size of my ass on your neck.”  
Thor had his arms crossed and was doing a poor job of looking disapproving. “I assume I was summoned here with such haste for something besides a discussion of my private life?” His stern tone was somewhat diminished by the fact that he returned the high five Brunhilde offered him.  
“We’re nearing Earth,” Loki said, sounding none too pleased about the fact. “It would be ideal if we had somewhere to land. This ship is an older model. It needs to hone in on the standard intergalactic welcome signal in order to approach a planet with any accuracy. Where might we expect a friendly welcome on Earth?”  
“I should think most governments would be happy to assist us. But I’m unsure which would be equipped to emit such a signal,” Thor said. “What do you think Bruce?”  
Bruce didn’t get a chance to answer before Loki interjected “Really brother, are we going to continue to take policy advice from whichever Midgardian you happen to be screwing this week?” Bruce didn’t see Thor move, but he suddenly had Loki pinned up against the wall, one forearm pressed firmly into Loki’s windpipe.  
“You will treat Dr. Banner with respect, or you will leave,” Thor said, his voice deadly calm.  
“Allright,” Loki rasped, and Thor released him. “Hel, you used to be able to take a joke.”  
“And you used to be able to make one,” Thor said. “Anyway, where were we? Bruce?”  
Bruce blinked. He’d been jealously wondering what Loki’s little dig implied about Jane and how serious Thor had been about her, and then annoyed by how attractive he’d found Thor’s violent defense of his honor. Bruce knew, intellectually, that Thor’s little outburst was immature and unnecessary, but he couldn’t deny it had also been incredibly hot. But, they were discussing the fate of a whole civilization, right. “Well, humans haven’t gotten very far when it comes to space travel,” Bruce began. “No one’s gonna be equipped with a standard intergalactic welcome signal.”  
Brunhilde pursed her lips. “What are we supposed to do then? We can’t land on Earth, and we’ve spent most of our fuel getting to this almost uninhabited corner of the galaxy. We’re about to be stranded in Hicksville. We’re fucked.”  
Bruce shook his head, thinking fast. “Not necessarily. I need you all to tell me everything you know about whatever device transmits this signal, and then I need to find a way to get a message to the only man on Earth who’d be able to build it from scratch on the fly.”  
Thor grinned. “It’s been quite some time since anyone called me point break.”  
~~~  
48 hours and no sleep later, Bruce had what he needed. He’d cobbled together a rudimentary arc reactor, and calibrated it to flash in tandem with any arc reactors on Earth. Even if Tony no longer relied on the one in his chest, Bruce thought it was a safe bet that he used the tech in his suits or something else close to him. The hard part had been distilling everything he needed to tell Tony into as short a message as possible that was still comprehensible in Morse code. Now all that was left to do was repeat the message using flashes of Bruce’s arc reactor, and hope that wherever Tony was, he was listening. Bruce transmitted the message three times in a row, and then sat back in his chair and sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Someone came up behind Bruce and squeezed his shoulders. Bruce jumped, badly startled. The hands dropped immediately, and Thor moved into Bruce’s field of vision.  
“I’m sorry,” Thor said. “I meant to soothe, not frighten.”  
Bruce shook his head, apologetic. “It’s not your fault I’m so jumpy. Just, maybe coming up behind me isn’t a great idea.”  
“Understood.” Thor pushed Bruce’s swivel chair back so that there was room for him to sit on the worktable in front of Bruce. “When was the last time you slept my dear?”  
Bruce scrunched his face up, trying to remember. “It was in your bed. Before, you know, when we were actually asleep.”  
Thor looked amused and exasperated. “Well it just so happens that’s where you’re going right now.”  
Bruce shook his head. “I have to watch the arc reactor and see if Tony answers.”  
“It could be some time before Tony even sees your message, much less decodes it and figures out how to respond. Surely you can rest-” Bruce grabbed Thor’s knee as his arc reactor began blinking at him of it’s own accord. Success.  
“You were saying?” Bruce grinned as he grabbed the tablet where he had a translation key for Morse code open. He typed quickly as the blinks came in, but it was a fairly short message.  
Thor read what Bruce had just typed over his shoulder. “Coordinates. A date and time. I assume that will be when and where to expect the signal. But what is the meaning of this last phrase? ‘I got you fam’?”  
Bruce laughed. “I haven’t had a chance to brush up on Earth slang in a couple years, but I think Tony’s telling us he’s got our back.” Thor kissed him then, full on the mouth, and had a look of near reverence when he pulled back.  
“What would we have done without you, Bruce? I don’t understand half of what you’ve done, these past two days, but I know that your genius has saved my people. How can I ever thank you?”  
Bruce’s face was positively burning. “Thor, c’mon it’s not a big deal. I just did what I could to help.”  
“You are amazing.” Thor said it as a simple statement of fact, and hearing it like that in Thor’s strong and sure voice warmed something in Bruce, something he’d expected to leave cold for the rest of his life. “And now, you are going to sleep.” Without any warning, Thor lifted Bruce out of his chair and slung him over his shoulder. “I will make sure this information reaches those who need it. The rest can wait.” Thor was supporting all of Bruce’s weight with one hand while he sent the coordinates out on a tablet with the other.  
Bruce opened his mouth to say that he could walk himself to bed, but a yawn came out instead. He had to admit being carried was kind of nice, so he just said “Ok your majesty, carry me away to yon bed chamber.” Thor groaned at Bruce’s word choice, and did as he was told.  
Bruce woke up what felt like a long time later to find his head pillowed in Thor’s lap. Thor was holding a book in one hand, and the other was buried in Bruce’s hair. “Where’d you get a book?” Bruce asked, still fuzzy from sleep.  
“There’s a whole library on the ship. Didn’t you know?”  
Bruce shook his head, and then realized that was maybe a weird choice since his face was still inches from Thor’s crotch. Bruce sat up quickly, determined to have once conversation with this man without being distracted by how hot he was.  
“How are you feeling?” Thor asked, setting his book aside.  
Bruce stretched and yawned. “So much better. Wow. How about you? Is everything on track with the landing?”  
Thor nodded. “If everything goes as planned, we’ll be on Earth in about two days.”  
Bruce sucked in a deep breath. Back home, or the closest thing he had to it. Why did that suddenly sound harder than being marooned in space? “And then what?” he asked quietly, afraid of the answer.  
Thor rubbed a hand over his face. “That is a good question. There will be much to do, I’m sure, resettling my people, but I have to believe it will work out for the best.” Thor paused a moment. “Loki may have to disappear for a while, given his reputation in your country, but I think he rather likes disappearing.”  
“Incidentally, is there a reason your brother hates me, or is it just kind of a general principle?”  
Thor barked a laugh. “He doesn’t hate you. Loki is scared of you. He resents the sound beating he got at the hands of the Hulk, but is much too frightened of repeating it to challenge you outright. It’s pretty amusing, I have to admit.”  
Bruce found himself laughing with Thor. Usually people being scared of the other guy was a source of guilt and disgust for Bruce, but in his private opinion Loki kinda deserved it.  
“What will you do, when we get back to Earth?” Thor asked.  
“I don’t know.” Bruce sighed. “A few years ago, all I wanted to do was disappear and help some people where I could. But now people know who and what I am, and I-” he flicked his eyes to Thor’s for a moment, nervous, “I actually have people I care about now so I don’t know. I don’t want to just scurry around the upper floors of Tony’s tower forever. I guess I don’t know what my place is on Earth either.”  
“I would hope,” Thor began, “that is to say, it would be my wish that whatever happens, our lives on Earth would…coincide, somewhat?”  
Bruce looked at Thor fully and thought that somehow, amazingly, Thor might be nervous too. “Thor, you know I want to spend as much time as possible with you, but I also know you have your duty, and huge tasks ahead of you, and I understand if there isn’t a whole lot of room for me in that.”  
Thor grabbed Bruce’s hands in his. “No, what I mean to say is I want you to be an important part of my life, I want to be an important part of your life, if that is what you wish. It is true, I will have many priorities, in the coming days, but I’d like you to be one of them.”  
Bruce smiled and bit his lip. “Is the god of thunder asking me to be his boyfriend?”  
“Yes.” Thor said. “I suppose that is what I am, very clumsily, trying to do.”  
Everything inside of Bruce was screaming yes but he hesitated. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Thor. People who get close to me, people I care about, they always end up suffering for it. And the things I’ve done…”  
Thor frowned. “Do you speak of things you, Bruce Banner have done, or things the Hulk has done? One has nothing to do with the other.”  
“I made the Hulk,” Bruce snapped. He was scared, defensive, backed into a corner. This was dangerous. He needed to leave, to calm down, but he couldn’t stop. “Anything the Hulk has ever done, anyone he’s ever killed, is my fault. It’s my fault he exists, it’s my fault I haven’t figured out how to control him better. However you try to justify it, it all comes back to me and I can’t, I won’t taint you with that.” A terrible, familiar wave of heat flashed inside of Bruce, and as he watched his hand bulge and turn green his stomach turned over in horror. NO he insisted with his whole being, and, desperately, he found Thor’s blue gaze and forced the green back down, away, dormant, for now. “I’m so sorry,” Bruce said, shame replacing the rage, quickly, as it always did. He got up to leave but Thor followed and grabbed his wrist, his hand gentle yet immovable, holding Bruce in place unless he let the other guy out for real. It was a brave, stupid thing to do.  
“Bruce stop. Breathe. Look at me.” Bruce struggled to do what he was told and found that Thor’s face was not angry or scared or disgusted. He just looked sad. “I am under no illusion, that you come to me perfect and unscarred,” Thor said. “You’ve told me nothing tonight that I have not already been able to guess myself. But I do know you. I know that the Hulk’s deeds reflect nothing about the man that you are. Perhaps you have made mistakes. I know that I have made countless. I come to you with my own regrets and shortcomings, many that you’ve yet to discover. But I know that any time you’ve seen one of my flaws, you’ve been gentle and forgiving. I wish you’d extend the same kindness to yourself.”  
Bruce shook his head. He needed to say something but he found his throat embarrassingly constricted. He still wanted desperately to run away but had a feeling that if he did that now he wouldn’t get another shot at the only thing he’d really wanted in years. “I-” he began, but it was useless. He was crying, and Thor was going to rightfully laugh in his face. But he didn’t. Instead, Thor folded Bruce in a tight embrace, and Bruce buried his face in Thor’s chest and let himself be comforted. Finally Bruce calmed down enough to say, “I’m sorry I was such an idiot about this. Of course I want to be with you.”  
Thor chuckled and kissed the top of his head. “You’re the farthest thing from an idiot. I know this is new territory, but it’s allright. We’re both figuring it out as we go.” Bruce looked up at him, and Thor winked. “To be fair, I’m always figuring it out as I go.” Bruce laughed wetly and reached up to put a hand on Thor’s face, rubbing a thumb against his stubble.  
“Thank you for being so wonderful,” Bruce said. “I’ll try to deserve it.”  
Thor sighed and rested his forehead against Bruce’s. “As usual you have it backwards. I strive, daily, to be worthy of you.”  
“Agree to disagree,” Bruce muttered. Thor kissed him then, insistent and tender, and Bruce returned it with an enthusiasm bordering on desperation. He wanted to drown in Thor, wrap himself up in the god’s golden goodness and be swallowed whole. Thor seemed to understand as he walked Bruce back towards the bed. He peeled Bruce’s clothes off as he went, and Bruce was stripped entirely bare by the time his thighs hit the edge of the mattress. Thor’s hands were on Bruce’s shoulders, his lips locked onto Bruce’s lips. Bruce kissed back for all he was worth, pulling Thor’s hips against his own. Thor pushed down on Bruce’s shoulders until Bruce sat on the bed with a thud. As Bruce watched in awe, Thor went down on his knees between Bruce’s spread legs. Thor put a hand on each of Bruce’s knees and looked up at him with an expression that set every one of his nerve endings on fire. Thor zeroed in on his target and swallowed all of Bruce in one swift motion and Bruce threw his head back, so close to coming apart already. Thor set to work in earnest, his tongue and lips working wonders Bruce had never even imagined were possible, and for once Bruce didn’t feel small or guilty or worthless. In fact, he felt worshipped.  
~~~  
The landing on Earth went smoothly, Bruce was told. He spent most of it on his knees, vomiting, because it turned out his stomach didn’t take kindly to the g force experienced when entering the Earth’s atmosphere. Bruce finally did make it down the ship’s exit ramp, still a little queasy and wobbly. Thor hovered nervously around his back and elbow until Bruce shot him a look and he chilled out. Bruce reached earthen soil under his own steam, and was surprised to find he was glad to be back. There was something a little soul crushing about being stuck in a metal box for so long. He watched Thor plant his feet on the ground and spread his arms wide, the sun glinting in his hair, and thought that he wasn’t the only one who’d missed the outdoors. They were in a grassy field and there was a sprawling compound emblazoned with the avenger’s logo in the distance. Just as Bruce was able to make out a figure coming towards them from that direction, Thor waved and bellowed “Anthony!” Tony jogged the rest of the way and grabbed both of them in a rough hug.  
“Hey space travelers, you made it!” Tony beamed. Bruce didn’t miss the circles under Tony’s eyes or his coffee breath, and wondered how much sleep he’d lost building the transmitter for their landing.  
“Thanks in no small part to you,” Thor said, clapping Tony on the back. “I and all of Asgard owe you our gratitude.”  
“It’s great to see you Tony,” Bruce said warmly.  
“You too Bruce-y. Can’t wait to hear all about how you ended up on Asgard, but first I guess I should get all of these people off my lawn.” He indicated the milling crowds of Asgardians all around them.  
Thor nodded. “Yes, they’ve all been placed in groups with leaders that will help them find resettlement.”  
“Yeah Pepper has some ideas about how to streamline that process and start making it all legal. She’s around here somewhere-”  
“Legal” Thor interrupted, expression stormy. “What could be illegal about refugees of disaster landing on a civil planet?”  
Bruce sighed. “You’d be surprised.”  
Tony rubbed the back of his neck. “Well there’s not exactly a precedent here you know, but we’ve been in contact with some very pro-Asgard UN officials – you know what this can all wait though. There’s enough room for everyone to stay on the compound for the short term, as long as your people don’t mind camping. Pepper’s on her way with a whole team of people to help everyone get settled and fed. You two must be exhausted. Come in, have a drink, tell me all about your exciting cosmic lives.”  
“Certainly,” Thor said “Once again, you have my thanks.” His voice held genuine warmth, but Bruce knew Thor was in no way appeased by Tony’s generosity or his nervous chatter. “I’ll be in momentarily, after I address my people.” Bruce followed Tony in to the sprawling compound while Thor’s public speaking voice boomed in the background. By the time they made it to a sitting room with a bar Bruce had caught Tony up on a condensed version of the events that had brought them there. Tony poured himself a generous glass of scotch and said “still a tea man Bruce? Pepper’s got me on this honeysuckle lavender thing that’s actually not half bad.”  
“Sounds great,” Bruce nodded.  
“What do you think point break will want? Beer? Wine? Absinthe? I’ve got it all.”  
“Ale, as dark as you’ve got,” Bruce said without missing a beat.  
Tony raised an eyebrow as he selected a bottle. “Sounds like you two got pretty close on that spaceship.”  
“You could say that,” Bruce said weakly, not sure how to approach that whole conversation.  
Luckily Thor picked that moment to jog into the room, apparently having kept his speech short and sweet.  
“What have I missed?” Thor asked, settling next to Bruce and taking the drink Tony offered. “What news of Earth, and of you Stark?”  
“Well Pep and I are engaged.” Tony wiggled his ring finger, and Bruce realized he’d missed the shiny black band there.  
“Oh my God, congratulations,” Bruce grinned. “That’s amazing.”  
“That is indeed wonderful news.” Thor raised his bottle. “To your lady, and your happy future together.” They clinked and drank, and Bruce asked  
“And the rest of the team? How’s everyone doing?”  
Tony’s face fell. “That’s, ah, a complicated question.” Tony downed half of his drink in one swig, and Bruce knew he wasn’t going to like what followed.  
~~~  
As Tony finished his explanation Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose, exhausted, suddenly. “So you don’t even know where Cap and Nat are at this point?”  
Tony waved his hand. “You know Natasha. She’s invisible unless she wants to be seen. And it’s pretty obvious Rogers is operating out of Wakanda but I have no actual proof and don’t particularly want any.”  
“I don’t get it.” Bruce shook his head. “He sent you that phone over two years ago. Why haven’t you called him?”  
“Did you miss the part where his psycho war buddy murdered my parents, or the part where mr. patriotism lied to me about it and then teamed up with said murderous assassin to beat the everliving shit out of me?”  
“But you said this Barnes guy was under Hydra control when that happened. Granted, Steve shouldn’t have lied to you but you can’t hold it against his friend if he wasn’t in control of his actions.”  
Tony set his glass down with a sharp clink. “Don’t tell me what I can feel about being orphaned” Tony snapped. “I saw the video. Barnes looked my mom in the face with his own eyes before he killed her with his own hands. Frankly I could give a shit what his precise psychological condition was at the time. Murder is murder.”  
“Allright Tony,” Bruce said, holding his hands up in surrender. Something ice cold settled in his chest, the exact opposite of the burning that signaled the other guy’s arrival. No, this was all patented weak Bruce Banner, a coward exposing his belly at the first sign of trouble who deserved whatever came next. Still, it was better than the alternative. Tony visibly calmed, said something appeasing, and Bruce murmured an agreement, but for the life of him he couldn’t follow the conversation after that. The phrase ‘murder is murder’ was rattling around his head, and the familiar self loathing was filling him up.  
Thor touched his shoulder, making Bruce jump and come back to the present. “Are you allright?” Thor asked softly, but it was clear in his expression that he already knew the answer.  
“Yeah,” Bruce lied anyway. “Just tired, I think.” Tony immediately ushered them off to separate bedrooms, and Thor tried to follow Bruce into his but Bruce shook his head. Thor would draw Bruce’s thoughts and feelings out of him, the way he always did, and Bruce wasn’t ready to face that yet. For the first time, Bruce was considering the implications of the accords that had scattered the other Avengers, and Bruce realized he was going to have to leave, to disappear like Loki had, like the villains they both were. Any frank legal evaluation of him and his past, his threat to society, would see him imprisoned or dead, and somehow he still had enough of an instinct for self-preservation not to surrender. The moment he told Thor, said the words out loud, it would be real. They would be over before they’d begun, and Bruce didn’t have it within himself to do it at this moment. So he pushed Thor away, flopped down face first onto a bed he barely saw, but didn’t cry. That kind of release and self indulgence was for people, and deep down, Bruce knew he didn’t qualify.  
Bruce’s thoughts were interrupted by a sound he knew all too well. Raised voices, muffled through the wall but still loud enough to reach him. It was Tony and Thor, and although he couldn’t make out many of the words, he caught his own name enough times to know it was his fault. He should leave now, he realized. No messy painful goodbyes, no more drama, just a silent exit that would be better for everyone in the long run. Bruce got up to leave, but before he could even reach the doorknob Tony was bursting into the room.  
“So,” Tony said abruptly, straightening his jacket and looking distinctly ruffled, “Thor pointed out to me that I maybe didn’t handle that situation very well. I’m sorry Bruce.” Tony looked Bruce in the eye, uncharacteristically earnest. “I really am.”  
Bruce shook his head. “No, you didn’t do anything wrong. It just made me realize, the way you want the avengers to be, accountable, legit, above board, I can’t be part of that.” He paused, looked at his feet. “By all rights you and the UN should lock me up.”  
“Hey, don’t talk crazy.” Tony put his hand on Bruce’s shoulder. “You’re my best friend. You’re not going anywhere.”  
Bruce shrugged him off. “You said it yourself. Murder is murder. Do you know how many people I’ve killed?” Tony was silent, and somehow that pissed Bruce off. “No, really, do you? Cause I have no fucking clue what my fatality count is at this point. And I was gonna leave, run away with my tail between my legs, before you came in, because I’m too chickenshit to face the music. You should choose better friends.”  
“I’ve seen you when you hulk out. I know that’s not you, that there’s nothing you can do to control it. No one holds any of it against you,” Tony insisted.  
“But you hold it against Barnes.” Bruce was tired now, his anger gone as quickly as it had come. “You can’t have it both ways, Tony. If Barnes is the Winter Soldier than I am the Hulk, and both of us should be in jail or dead.”  
“I never,” Tony swallowed thickly and tried again. “I never wanted to believe, that it wasn’t really Barnes in that tape, not his mind, anyway. It was easier to blame him, than to see some fucked up cycle of violence that makes us all helpless.”  
Bruce shook his head. “Don’t do that. Don’t just say things you don’t believe because I’m your friend and you feel bad for me. I don’t deserve to be here and we both know it.”  
“I’m not saying anything I don’t believe.” Tony rubbed his eyes, looking unbelievably tired, and Bruce felt a wave of sympathy for him. “What can I do to prove it to you?”  
“You can call Steve,” Bruce said wryly. “You can forgive Barnes.”  
“Ok.”  
“What?”  
“I said ok,” Tony repeated. “I’ll do it now.” Bruce’s feelings must have shown on his face. “I’m serious. I know it’s the right thing to do. I think I’ve known for awhile now, but I didn’t have my do-gooder genius friend here to make me admit it.”  
Bruce offered a very cautious smile. “You mean it?”  
Tony nodded and pulled an ancient looking flip phone out of his pocket. Before he left the room, Tony added “Also, I don’t know what happened in space, but Thor seems convinced the sun shines out of your ass. I’m gonna need more details on that.” With that he was gone, and Bruce really did believe he was going to call Steve.  
Bruce wasn’t even alone for a minute before there was a familiar pounding on his door. “Come in” he called and Thor was there, apparently ready to save Bruce from himself once again.  
“Are you allright?” Thor asked.  
Bruce shrugged helplessly. He still knew that he should leave, but between Tony’s change of heart and Thor’s, well, existence, his resolve was beginning to waver.  
“I do hope you’re not considering anything foolish,” Thor said sternly. “I’d prefer to stay in one place at the moment, rather than chasing you all over Midgard because you’ve decided your time is better spent torturing yourself rather than staying with those that care for you and perhaps doing some good.”  
At that, Bruce’s defenses shattered. He was laughing and then he was crying, and he didn’t know if it was relief or resignation that allowed him to fold himself into Thor’s arms and be comforted. Wordlessly, Thor stripped both of them down to their underwear and placed Bruce in bed. Thor immediately wrapped himself around Bruce like a living weighted blanket. And all Bruce could think was fuck it. Even with his big brain, his PhDs, his guilt and his rage, he didn’t know what the right thing was anymore. All he knew was that this felt good.  
~~~  
It was sometime later, with Bruce drifting in and out of sleep while Thor held him and hummed an Asgardian tune, when Tony burst into the room without knocking. “Leave it to Cap to-” the sentence died on Tony’s lips as he took in the scene before him. If Bruce had ever imagined coming out to his best friend, he certainly hadn’t pictured himself half naked and being spooned by a burly blonde beefcake. “What the fuck?” Tony said once he got his jaw off the floor. “Are there any other torrid gay affairs I’m gonna find out about today? Is Obama secretly hooking up with Tom Cruise?”  
Bruce could feel himself burning bright red as he quickly sat up and pulled the covers up to his chin.   
Thor, naturally, found the entire situation hilarious. “Was it not obvious, Tony, from the way we act together?” He asked between chuckles. “I wasn’t aware you needed to be told.”  
Tony rubbed his temples. “How long have you two been a thing?”  
Bruce looked at Thor for help. “Umm, a few days? I mean I’ve been into Thor pretty much from the second we boarded the spaceship but uh, we only got together recently.” Bruce clamped his mouth shut, somehow more mortified now that he’d spoken.  
Tony’s face broke into a wide grin. “You know this weirdly makes sense. It’s like a beauty and the-” he caught Bruce’s eye, thought better of what he was obviously about to say, and amended “a beauty and the brain thing. I didn’t know you had it in you to pull a royal underwear model Brucey.”  
Bruce sighed and covered his face with his hands, but then the rest of what Tony had said caught up to him. “Wait, what did you mean by any other torrid gay affairs?”  
“Oh right.” Tony rolled his eyes. “What I was saying when I first came in, was leave it to Cap to upstage me once again. He’s engaged too, and his wedding’s like a week before mine.”  
“Engaged to who?” Thor asked, but Bruce had a sneaking suspicion.  
“Who else?” Tony sighed. “Bucky fuckin Barnes.”  
“So I’m guessing you’re not gonna go?” Bruce asked cautiously.  
“Are you kidding? I’m a groomsman. Actually we all are, assuming you two are in.” Bruce could feel himself smiling like an idiot, and he looked up to see the expression mirrored on Thor. “That’s right,” Tony said, “We’re all gonna be one big happy family, with everybody screwing each other and half of us classified as terrorists.” Tony threw out sarcastic jazz hands, doing a poor job of disguising the fact that he was genuinely happy about how things had turned out.  
“This is wonderful,” Thor beamed. “Perhaps Captain Rogers has some insight as to settling my people, without gambling their lives on the decision of your government.” Thor’s voice was cheerful, and firm as steel. Bruce was surprised for a moment, but he reminded himself that Thor wasn’t always so soft with the rest of the world as he was with Bruce.  
Tony rolled his eyes. “How is it that within two seconds of you two being back all of my law abiding tendencies have been shot to shit?” He sighed. “Put some pants on and we’ll figure something out.” Tony exited the room, leaving a lot to think about in his wake.  
“What do you think is going to happen?” Bruce asked.  
Thor shrugged. “I don’t have a clue, to be honest. But I feel like everything’s going to work out fine.” They kissed, and despite a lot of evidence to the contrary, Bruce was inclined to agree.


End file.
